Rockets, Americans clashing for 7th time in post-season history
The Kelowna Rockets are preparing to host the Tri-City Americans to open their first-round WHL playoff series, starting this Thursday and Saturday at Prospera Place.
The two teams will be meeting for the seventh time in the post-season since the Rockets moved to Kelowna from Tacoma, Wash. They also met once prior in the 1994 playoffs and the Tacoma Rockets took that series 3-1.
The Rockets then relocated to Kelowna and faced the Americans again in the opening round of the 1996 playoffs. But Tri-City made quick work of Kelowna, ousting the Rockets in five games in their best-of-seven series.
Their paths didn’t cross again in the playoffs until 2004 — eight years later — when the Rockets avenged that defeat by prevailing 4-2 in the second round en route to winning the Memorial Cup on home ice in Kelowna.
The next meeting was in 2009 — again in the second round — with Kelowna repeating that result in a 4-2 series win. It was another fantastic post-season for the Rockets as they went on to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champs.
In 2010, Tri-City returned a strong team and eliminated Kelowna in the second round, winning 4-1 and going all the way the WHL final before falling to the Calgary Hitmen.
After a few years apart, this rivalry was renewed in 2014 when the Rockets ousted the Americans in five games in the first round.
In their most recent playoff meeting, in 2015, Kelowna swept Tri-City in four straight games in the first round and again went on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup. The Rockets also advanced to the Memorial Cup final, falling in overtime to the OHL’s Oshawa Generals.
Add it up and Kelowna has a 4-2 record against Tri-City in the WHL playoffs, or 5-2 counting the Tacoma victory.
However, the 2017-18 season series was tied, with both teams winning twice and all four games being decided by a goal — including a split of overtime results.
Kelowna prevailed 5-4 at home in the most recent meeting on Jan. 3 and also won 4-3 in overtime at Prospera Place on Oct. 27.
Tri-City won both games in Kennewick, Wash., 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 1 and 2-1 on Oct. 17 in the first meeting of the campaign.
ICE CHIPS: Dillon Dube was named the CHL Player of the Week on Tuesday. That gave Kelowna the first and last award winners of the regular season, with Dube winning for the week ending March 18 after Kole Lind won for the season-opening week that ended on Sept. 24 . . . . Dube, also named the WHL Player of the Week on Monday, finished strong with four goals and three assists for seven points in two games. He also had a plus-5 rating during the final week of the regular season . . . . Dube extended his personal point streak to eight games with a pair of multi-point performances last week that helped the Rockets clinch their seventh B.C. Division title in franchise history with a record of 43-22-5-2. . . . On Wednesday, Dube scored twice — including the game-winner — and added an assist as part of a 6-3 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars . . . . On Saturday, Dube wrapped up the season with a first-star effort, tallying two goals and two assists in an 8-1 rout of the Vancouver Giants at Prospera Place . . . . Also considered for the CHL award this week was Nick Suzuki, who reached the century mark in points with six goals and one assist for seven points in his final three games of the season, helping the Owen Sound Attack clinch fourth place in the OHL’s Western Conference. The other candidate was 2018 draft-eligible defenceman Nicolas Beaudin, who had seven assists over three games to help the Drummondville Voltigeurs finish fifth in the QMJHL’s standings . . . . The OHL and QMJHL playoffs also start this week.